Many of the stories in the Hebrew Scriptures are
complex, and difficult to separate from their broader contexts. And so it
is with the story of Nabothís Vineyard in 1 Kings.

Elijah and King Ahab have had an ongoing conflict, at
the root of which has been Ahabís marriage to Jezebel, a foreign wife,
who worshipped foreign gods, and caused Ahab to do likewise.

In the thirty-third verse of the sixteenth chapter of 1
Kings we read that "Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord,
the God of Israel, than had all the kings of israel who were before
him."

But in the twenty-first chapter we are dealing with an
issue that is fundamental to scriptural teachings and, I believe,
fundamental to our understanding of sin. And that is greed. Indeed, as far
back as Adam and Eve in the garden, greed raised its ugly head. The first
couple were granted everything in the world but one tree. And in their
greed, they needed to have that one tree.

But let us return to the twenty-first chapter of 1
Kings. It begins, "Later the following events took place: Naboth the
Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of
Samaria.

And Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard,
so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house;
I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I
will give you its value in money."

Now this seems like a fairly straightforward business
deal. Nabothís land is close to the palace; Ahab thinks that it would be
convenient to own it; and Ahab makes him an offer for it of either cash or
a trade. But there is one consideration that Ahab had not counted on.

"But Naboth said to Ahab, "The Lord forbid
that I should give you my ancestral inheritance."

In other words, for Naboth the land is priceless. It
has been handed down from his father, and who knows through how many
generations. For Naboth, no amount of money can separate him from this
land.

We should all be able to understand this. In a sense,
weíre also talking about sentimental value. Iíll bet that each of us
owns at least one thing, maybe many things, that we would not part with
because of the memories attached to them.

Well, apparently, Ahab did NOT understand. "Ahab
went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelilte had
said to him; for he had said, "I will not give you my ancestral
inheritance." He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would
not eat."

And a business deal that did not work out is turning
into an obsession. Indeed, if this were a small child, we might say that
he is pouting.

But Ahab had an option. He could have pushed the price
he was offering to an extremely high level to see if Naboth could be
tempted. And then, if that did not work, he could act like an adult and
learn to live with it.

Unfortunately for Naboth, Ahab has an accomplice.
"His wife Jezebel came to him and said, "Why are you so
depressed that you will not eat?"

And that is a reasonable question. Frequently, people
have been know to lose their appetites where they are lovesick, or
homesick, or when they have lost a loved one. Nervousness and anxieties
can cause us to lose our appetites. So Jezebel is justifiably concerned
about her husband.

"He said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth
the Jezreelite and said to him, "Give me your vineyard for money; or
else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it"; but he
answered, "I will not give you my vineyard."

Now, notice what Ahab has left out. Ahab has not told
Jezebel WHY Naboth refused to sell. Ahab has not told Jezebel that Nabothís
Vineyard was his ancestral inheritance.

Well, Jezebel is tougher than her husband. And she is
going to come to Ahabís rescue.

"His wife Jezebel said to him, "Do you now
govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the
vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

And what does Ahab say to this? Absolutely nothing. He
does not ask, "How do you intend to do this?"

From what Jezebel has been told, she may think that
Naboth is just being stubborn; and she may be angry that her husband the
king has been denied his request.

But Jezebel wears the crown in this family. Ahab even
worships her god, Baal, and not the God of Israel. And Jezebel wants Ahab
to be able to make the fullest use of his powers and to be happy.

"So she wrote letters in Ahabís name and sealed
them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who
lived with Naboth in his city."

And notice the liberties that Jezebel is taking,
writing letters in her husbandís name and sealing them with his seal.
She does not ask his permission. She does not tell him what she is about
to do. She just takes over. This manís life is out of control. His COURT
is out of control.

But then, that is not so unusual. Iíve known of
Presidents of this country who, when members of their administrations were
charged with criminal misconduct, claimed that they had no knowledge of
what was happening.

"[Jezebel] wrote in the letters, "Proclaim a
fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly; seat two scoundrels
opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, "You
have cursed God and the king." Then take him out, and stone him to
death."

This may remind you of another letter, a letter sent by
King David to Joab, in an effort to cover up Davidís adultery with
Bathsheba. In the eleventh chapter of 2 Samuel we read that David
"sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, "Set
Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from
him, so that he may be struck down and die."

So, just as David set up Uriah for his death, so has
Jezebel set up Naboth for his death. And because of the power of the king,
and the assumption that these instructions have come from Ahab, Naboth
will die.

And Iím reminded of a quotation of a clergyperson in
the Joplin Globe a few years ago. "Capital punishment is not a
disregard for human life. It is the government carrying out its God-given
authority."

And does that mean that anything a government does is
authorized by God?

"The men of [Nabothís] city, the elders and the
nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just
as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, they
proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly."

Now, if you already know the story, or if you have your
Bibles open and have read ahead, you already know how this is going to
turn out and who is going to catch the blame for it in the final verse of
the passage. Itís going to be all Ahabís fault.

But I think that at this point in the story we need to
be asking whether anyone ELSE might have been responsible. Jezebel is
obviously responsible. She wrote and sent those letters.

But what of all the elders and nobles of Nabothís
city, people who knew Naboth; are they not implicated in this despicable
act? Or do they use the classic response: "I was just following
orders."

Back to the assembly.

"The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite [Naboth];
and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the
people, saying "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they took
him outside the city, and stoned him to death."

Naboth has been charged with blasphemy and treason,
both offenses punishable by death. Two people are charging him, so the
charge of one is corroborated by the charge of the other, the minimum
requirement of the law. And, itís a done deal.

Actually, gossip and rumor work much the same way. If
we hear something from two people we begin to believe it. Never mind that
it may be nonsense; sometimes the more outrageous something sounds, the
more exciting it is to believe it.

So the execution is accomplished. "Then they sent
to Jezebel, saying "Naboth has been stoned; he is dead."

Maybe we need a reality check here. This really
happened. Ahab was king about fifty years after Solomon. These people are
following the Jewish law. Do we really want a return to the good old days?

And what would prevent US from ending up like Naboth if
we got in the way of someone in power? if we had something that a powerful
person wanted?

"As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been
stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, "Go, take possession of
the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for
money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead."

Now, you may be wondering, how could Ahab suddenly take
possession of the vineyard? Didnít Naboth have a family? Indeed he did.

But according to an interpretation of the twenty-sixth
verse of the ninth chapter of Second Kings, all the SONS of Naboth were
killed as well.

"As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab
set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take
possession of it."

So, all Ahab needed to do was sit around and pout while
his unscrupulous wife and the unscrupulous neighbors of Naboth conspired
to get Ahab what he wanted.

In this story, in this passage, Naboth is only the
human victim, the most immediate and obvious victim of Ahab and Jezebelís
greed. But the very principles of Israelite society have been challenged
as well. The office of the king has been taken over by a foreigner, Ahabís
wife Jezebel, and corrupted with the kingís consent. Neighbor has turned
against neighbor.

Those entrusted with upholding justice have perverted
it. The fast, a solemn religious ritual, is manipulated for a sham trial,
resulting in perjury and murder. The law is manipulated to perpetrate
gross injustice.

So where is God in all of this?

"Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the
Tishbite, saying, "Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in
Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take
possession."

"You shall say to him, "Thus says the Lord:
Have you killed, and also taken possession?" You shall say to him,
"Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of
Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood."

As the hymn says, "God is not dead, nor doth he
sleep." God knows what has been happening, has established the
consequences, selects Elijah, informs him of the situation, and sends him
to Ahab with a message.

"Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O
my enemy?" He answered, "I have found you. Because you have sold
yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, I will bring
disaster on you."

As I said at the outset, Elijah and Ahab have had an
ongoing conflict. Elijah is not a stranger to Ahab. And when Ahab says,
"Have you found me, O my enemy?" he knows that he has been
called to account.

In many respects this is an ugly story. It is ugly
because of what happens to Naboth and his family. But it should also be
instructive for us. The behaviors and practices of the Israelites can
still be found almost three thousand years later.

And finally, although God allows humans a great deal of
free rein, God still holds us accountable for transgressing Godís laws.